Important win? Really? You betcha! The Sens were on their 6th game of a 17 game December schedule and they need to make the most of that busy sched. Before the game, the Sens had been 1-4-0 in December. Even though they played a highly offensive game against Montreal, they were shut down by the Habs. They needed to prove that their attack was good enough and powerful enough to play against a good shut-down team. And the Flyers, under new coach Laviolette, have become just that.

The Sens also scored the victory on the road, something that is of importance to them. Then Sens have been horrendous on the road so far, and need to at least settle on a .500 record while away from home. This means that they will need a .600 record at home to get to the .550 record that pretty much guarantees a playoff spot.

The 25 registered shots on goal by the Sens last night in no way indicate how much offensive was generated. Flyers sticks were consistently in passing lanes, point shots were blocked, and the Flyers fought hard to be first at the puck in their own zone. While the Flyers did their best to overload the Sens early in the first and nearly did so. The teams seemed fairly evenly matched, and I wouldn;t be surprised to see the Flyers climb back up in the standings.



Nick Foligno was the only one to solve the Flyers defense and golatending. He reported being happy that he "had opportunities out there", but in reality, his hard work paid off. Foligno forechecked hard and drove to the net, taking his own rebound in the process. That's hard work and puck dedication, and he clearly deserved the star he got for the game. Once again, the thrid line was instrumental on the attack, and I would love to see the line rewarded. Chris Kelly, Jarkko Ruutu, and Jonathan Cheechoo show an impeccable work ethioc and leave everything on the ice on every shift.

The only disappointment was Chris Campoli who got beaten too often, couldn;t keep the puck in the offensive zone too often, and crashed the Philly goaltender early in the game. How he got away without a penalty is beyond me. Campoli was out of position for Brière's wraparound attempt and seemed lost on the ice. Serious improvement required there.

The Sens now have 11 games left in the month, four of those on the road. The win last night could be the wind they needed in their sails. They face the Carolina Canes, the bottom of the league, on Saturday. The Sens must avoid at all costs considering this a "by" game, and rtegister a solid win to start a streak. Then they will have the confidence to attack the rest of their December schedule in style.